Will I regret this. Orlando without Disney..

[batleyboy26]

We’ve had lots of holidays without the Disney parks TBH. We did them last year and we are going again this year but other than that I know we did 2 days 3 years ago, a fortnight 6 years ago and cannot remember before that when we went - definitely years!

[BirdsluvDisney]

I want to say a massive thank you for all the wonderful replies, You have all given me some real food for thought.

I have loved reading about all the different ways you do Florida, I now feel really excited to plan such a different type of holiday.

I feel I am now going to add in a car hire and go and visit further afield, I have done clear-water and Daytona.
But I have not done any of the state parks and they sound amazing

Once again thank you all for helping me putting some perspective on my forthcoming trip.

I am now so excited to start researching all that is out there. Can you believe 30 plus year and never done an airboat ride, I will deffo give this a shot.

[Tweety1]

I came back in April from a non Disney trip and we had an absolute blast! For the reasons you gave about staying on I Drive we did the same stayed I Drive so we could walk about. Did the Orlando eye group of tickets, the skeleton museum(suprisingly really good went for my DS but we all enjoyed it) and just walked about. We also used Lyft (which was great) and tbh if you are staying local I wouldn’t hire a car as by the time you factor carhire in Lyft is cheaper(depending on what you do). We always normally have a car but were ‘forced’ to use Lyft/Uber as at Easter carhire was really expensive and dropped on Easter Mon. I was reluctant but so glad it happened as not sure I would have tried a no car holiday. We then picked a car up for our last week and went to the beach, St Augustine (amazing) and for our final 2 nights rented DVC for 2 nights in Copper Creek. We just enjoyed the hotel and relaxed. One of my favourite holidays

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by BirdsluvDisney

I want to say a massive thank you for all the wonderful replies, You have all given me some real food for thought.

I have loved reading about all the different ways you do Florida, I now feel really excited to plan such a different type of holiday.

I feel I am now going to add in a car hire and go and visit further afield, I have done clear-water and Daytona.
But I have not done any of the state parks and they sound amazing

Once again thank you all for helping me putting some perspective on my forthcoming trip.

I am now so excited to start researching all that is out there. Can you believe 30 plus year and never done an airboat ride, I will deffo give this a shot.

See more...

Have a look at Destin, Crab Island, Henderson State Park, Pensacola and along that way (Tripadvisor '10 things to do in') It may be a fair way away, but it is also totally different.

Nearer to Orlando..
De Soto
Casperson Beach
Delmor Wiggins State Park.
Rainbow river

A whole 'new world' awaits!

[w513mfs]

Originally Posted by BirdsluvDisney

I want to say a massive thank you for all the wonderful replies, You have all given me some real food for thought.

I have loved reading about all the different ways you do Florida, I now feel really excited to plan such a different type of holiday.

I feel I am now going to add in a car hire and go and visit further afield, I have done clear-water and Daytona.
But I have not done any of the state parks and they sound amazing

Once again thank you all for helping me putting some perspective on my forthcoming trip.

I am now so excited to start researching all that is out there. Can you believe 30 plus year and never done an airboat ride, I will deffo give this a shot.

See more...

So Glad its been a help and i truly thank you as i have shown this thread to my wife as proof I am not the only "WEIRDO" who is doe with Disney.

Its Been a great thread.

[cartoonp]

Good for you there lots more out there then just Disney hope you have a brilliant time.

[themeparksandy]

As we don’t go as often as others we wouldn’t not go to Orlando without visiting DisneyWorld. When the kids have all growth up I would love to do a fly drive holiday around Florida. If Universal tickets wasn’t so expensive now would do both.

[coggie]

Originally Posted by ERICSMUM

Which hotel have you booked ? Would you want to have pool days, spend time in their restaurants and bars ?

I travel solo and probably spend more time at the hotel than families would, so I like a ‘good’ hotel such as Rosen Plaza or Rosen Center.

I usually just buy a one day ticket for my Epcot fix. I spend a couple of afternoons or evenings at Disney Springs.

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I'm travelling solo for the first time this year and opted to stay at Rosen Plaza, guess that's a good choice and like you the only park I want to go to is Epcot...looking forward to the freedom 😊

[coggie]

OP, unless there is a specific reason the only change I would make is to get a car and go a bit further afield..some great places within 60/90 minutes drive.

[Wobbles]

We do Orlando every year and haven't "done" Disney in over 10 years. (Tiny caveat - we are Universal AP holders).

There are a number of ways to get a cheap "Disney Fix"

- Head to the Hotels for a meal, we love going to Beaches and Cream and wandering around the Boardwalk.

- Having a round of Adventure Golf. The Winter Summerland course is ideal for pairing up with a meal at Disney Springs.

- We love wandering around Disney Springs, The Christmas Shop is a must and we love watching the Cast Members at Goofy's.

You'll have a brilliant time whatever you choose to do